The Delhi High Court today asked the government if it can allow Greenpeace to use its domestic accounts for day-to-day operations and pay salaries and outstanding dues to its employees.
The organisation faces 340 job losses after the Indian home ministry froze its seven bank accounts in April this year.
Delhi HC also directed Greenpeace to furnish details of their basic need for funds to run organisation including salaries, rents and electricity bills. Greenpeace will furnish its basic expenses list by today evening. Court has announced 26th May as the next date of hearing.
Greenpeace India`s Executive Director, Samir Aich, had earlier said that communicating this bad news to staff was the “hardest speech of his life.”
Aich was reported as saying, ” The question here is why are 340 people facing the loss of their their jobs? Is it because we talked about pesticide-free team, air pollution and a cleaner, fairer future for all?”
If Greenpeace India is indeed forced to close its offices in India, it will be the only forced closure since it was founded in 1971. The organisation had raised similar fears for its Russian operation in 2013 but the branch remained open in the end.